Report: DOJ watchdog review condemns anti-Donald Trump text messages

Posted June 14, 2018 at 12:46 PM

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2012 file photo Justice Department's Inspector General Michael Horowitz testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Horowitz says he will launch an investigation into the Justice Department and FBI's actions in the months leading up to the 2016 election, including whether department policies were followed by FBI Director James Comey. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)(J. Scott Applewhite)

The Washington Post reported that the 500-page document is expected to include a new text message from August 2016 where Peter Strzok, an investigator for both the probes into Hillary Clinton's emails and Russian meddling in the 2016 election, tells FBI lawyer Lisa Page "we'll stop" Trump from winning the White House.

"[Trump's] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!" Page reportedly said to Strzok.

"No. No he won't. We'll stop it," he responded, according to the Post.

Those familiar with the report, however, told the newspaper that while Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz took issue with the individual FBI officials, his report falls short in supporting Trump's suggestion that the investigation favored Clinton.

The Justice Department confirmed that the report will include discussion of text messages between Strzok and Page.

Trump has used previously unearthed, pro-Clinton exchanges between the two FBI officials to argue that the bureau was biased against him.

The Justice Department watchdog's review also reportedly found former FBI Director James Comey "deviated" from the agency's procedures in his handling of an investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server, but that his decisions did not appear to be motivated by political bias.

The report comes 18 months after Horowitz announced that his office would look into alleged misconduct surrounding Comey's handling of the investigation into the former Democratic presidential nominee's emails, including allegations that DOJ and FBI policies or procedures were not followed relating to the July 5, 2016 announcement that the bureau wasn't recommending any charges against Clinton.

The DOJ watchdog said the review would also examine allegations that: the FBI deputy director should have been recused from some investigative matters; officials disclosed non-public information to the Clinton campaign; FBI employees improperly disclosed non-public information; and the decision regarding the timing of the bureau's late-October 2016 release of Freedom of Information Act documents was influenced by improper considerations.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more information is made available.